Overview
- Presidential staff began shifting office supplies to Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday after clearing communal areas the previous day.
- Most relocation work will occur outside business hours and on weekends to avoid disrupting official duties, according to a presidential official.
- The move is slated to finish by the end of December, with Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik saying it could be completed by Christmas.
- President Lee Jae Myung pledged the return after renovations, reversing Yoon Suk Yeol’s 2022 relocation to Yongsan that he said would improve public access.
- The Blue House sits in northern Seoul near Gwanghwamun Square and is flanked by mountains that offer defensive advantages.